TikTok has said it will challenge a new law that could lead to the app being sold or banned in the US.
ByteDance, the platform’s Chinese parent company, now has nine months to sell the short form video app or it will be blocked for US users.
President Biden has signed the bill into law after it passed the Senate. US legislators have taken action over concerns that TikTok could pass data to the Chinese government.
Senator Marco Rubio said it was “a good move for America”.
TikTok has said that its parent company is “not an agent of China or any other country”. ByteDance has also pointed to the 60% stake in the company by global investment firms.
“This unconstitutional law is a TikTok ban, and we will challenge it in court,” said a statement. “We believe the facts and the law are clearly on our side, and we will ultimately prevail. The fact is, we have invested billions of dollars to keep US data safe and our platform free from outside influence and manipulation. This ban would devastate seven million businesses and silence 170 million Americans.
“As we continue to challenge this unconstitutional ban, we will continue investing and innovating to ensure TikTok remains a space where Americans of all walks of life can safely come to share their experiences, find joy, and be inspired.”
In 2020, Donald Trump signed an executive order banning transactions with TikTok in the US, but it was ultimately unsuccessful.
The action by US legislators comes as Universal Music Group’s licensing dispute with TikTok has seen the major’s artists and songwriters removed from the platform’s general music library. However, UMG artist Taylor Swift has partnered with TikTok on new album The Tortured Poets Department.
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